The Shadow of a Sword
by JillDragon
Summary: A series of short fics about everyone's favorite grouchy ex-Predacon, Dinobot. Originally written for the Tformers100 lj comm.


******Disclaimer:** Transformers, the Beast Wars series and its characters are property of Hasbro, not me - if they were, those friggin' twins in _Revenge of the Fallen_ would have died in a fire. Painfully.

**Author's Notes: **This is another series of short, prompted fics that I'm writing for the Tformers100 LiveJournal comm. This time the focus character is Dinobot and the theme of the prompts is 'War'. The setting of this particular fic is right after the series pilot and before Rhinox managed to solve the problem with the energon fields interfering with their comm units and whatnot.

**Warning: **The fic contains violence and gratuitous Scorponok mauling.

* * *

**1. Victory**

Something small and quick darted out of the underbrush in front of him and he'd already taken two steps after it before his processor caught up with his newly imposed pseudo-organic instincts.

His sharp gaze tracked the organic creature's flight and his sensors brought up data telling him that his new alt-mod was fast enough to catch it if he wanted. The knowledge gave him a feeling of satisfaction even if he couldn't indulge in the predatory urge to chase, to rend and kill. He was on patrol and he had a duty to accomplish and he wasn't going to allow himself to be distracted from it.

Dinobot knew that this patrol was really just an excuse for the Maximals to get rid of him for awhile until they worked out what to do with him. But he didn't much care; the chance for solitude and time to think away from his new 'allies' was too tempting for him to make more than a token protest.

He doubted that there would be any Predacon activity in this sector what with Megatron likely still recovering from the injuries he'd received during the battle at the energon mountain.

_What a pity Optimus failed to off-line him._ Then again, it meant that he still had the chance to take his own personal revenge on his former commander. Dinobot took a moment to imagine Megatron at his feet, pleading for mercy – right before he drove his sword through his spark.

It was a pleasant fantasy, but for now a fantasy it would have to remain. He would do his duty to the Maximals and patrol and fight for them. And wait. The old adage about living to fight another day was one he had once scorned as cowardly – so it galled him a great deal that now he was forced to live by it.

He ran a sensor sweep of the area as he did periodically, knowing that each scan was only accurate up to a certain distance. The unstable energon deposits on this planet kept making long-range scanning and communication unreliable despite Rhinox's best efforts to fix the problem. Unexpectedly, a blip appeared on his tactical read-out indicating a Cybertronian energy signature in the area. Immediately he tensed, senses on high-alert, ready for the possibility of an enemy attack.

When no assault was forthcoming he ran a more in-depth scan. The tactical data flooded back: one Cybertronian energy signature, probably Predacon though the interference made that uncertain, as well as a separate, non-sentient power source that could be anything from explosives to an energon converter. Or a stasis pod. Optimus Primal has instructed him to keep a watch out for any of the pods that had been jettisoned during the space battle - some of which might have fallen to the surface.

Personally, he thought it was unlikely that any of them would have survived the descent through the planet's thick atmosphere without burning up. He had told Optimus as much – earning a horrified gasp from Cheetor - but instead of sniping back or putting Dinobot in his place for the challenge to his authority, Optimus had merely shrugged in that annoyingly calm way of his and had told him that they couldn't ignore the possibility that some of the Maximals in the pods might have survived.

He wasn't quite sure what to make of the young Maximal leader; he wouldn't have thought it possible that a mech could command effectively without threats, intimidation, or manipulation. And yet without any of these the other Maximals still followed Optimus and seemed to even look up to him. It made no sense at all.

Keeping his head low, Dinobot stalked the unknown mech. His beast-mode's brown striped hide blended in well with the dry grass and bare rock and he moved as silently as a shadow, not disturbing a single pebble or rustling a single blade of grass. He peered carefully through the branches of a dead shrub; the shriveled brown leaves were still clinging futilely to its branches, providing something of a screen.

It was Scorponok, much to his surprise. The grey Predacon second in command had his tools spread out around him as he worked on some piece of machinery. Dinobot studied it, trying to work out its purpose – he thought it might be an eaves-dropping device designed to intercept and decode comm signals.

Surely even _he_ wasn't stupid enough to be out here, within reach of the Maximals base, alone. Dinobot's first thought was that it had to be a trap designed to lure him out into the open. Determined not to be taken in, he stayed where he was watching carefully to see if he could catch Megatron out.

But the longer he watched the more he became certain that his first impressions of the scene had been correct and that Scorponok was indeed here by himself. He certainly acted like he was alone, starting at any loud noises and occasionally throwing nervous glances over his shoulder – not the behavior of a mech who knew that there was someone else watching his back.

There was no way that Dinobot was going to let such carelessness go un-punished and if it was a trap after all…well at least he would be prepared to deal with it.

With a powerful surge of his hindquarters he leaped over the rocks that separated the two of them. Scorponok spun to face him, his yellow optics bugging out in shock and terror as Dinobot transformed mid-flight, landing in a crouch in robot mode. The grey Predacon tried to scramble away but Dinobot was on him too quickly for him to escape, shooting his leg out from under him with his optical lasers.

The warrior drew his sword and approached his fallen enemy. But Scorponok, who had fallen on his stomach, in one swift move whipped around and fired the missile launcher he'd been concealing with his body.

Fortunately Dinobot had been expecting it and managed to dodge out of the way. Spinning on heel he changed the motion into a lunge at his opponent and stabbed his sword through the missile launcher, effectively pinning his opponent to the ground and rendering the weapon useless.

Scorponok screamed in pain and scrabbled frantically at the blade, trying to free his hand, but Dinobot planted one foot on his chest and pushed him down. The Predacon started clawing at his foot instead, a futile exercise as Dinobot out-weighted his former subordinate by a considerable amount.

"Greetings, my former comrade," his hissed, sharp teeth bared in an expression that was more snarl than grin.

"Slag you, you fragger!" Scorponok howled, struggling wildly.

"Silence!" the warrior snapped, putting more of his weight on Scorponok's chest and the rest of his curses turned into a choked "Glubrlgurgle-!"

He leaned closer to his prey, "How does it feel Scorponok, to meet your opponent in single combat – alone without Megatron to hide behind, hrr?"

Scorponok, expression changed for furious to terrified and he tried to lean away, but the hard, stony ground left him nowhere to go.

"You are a _pathetic_ warrior," Dinobot continued, feeling a thrill of vicious satisfaction at having the mech who shot him at his mercy, "You should have stayed in engineering _tech_!"

That seemed to shake something loose in Scorponok and he renewed his frantic struggling, "It's not fair!" he wailed in evident frustration, "They all listened to a-a slagging arrogant traitor like you…but they won't obey me! What makes you better than me, huh? _What_?!"

All the fury and frustration Dinobot had kept pent up in the past solar cycles suddenly surged out and he back-handed Scorponok as hard as he could, "Fair?! You_ dare_ complain to me about it not being _fair_?!" he snarled, barely able to even _see_ through a rage so intense it almost choked him. "_I_ was Megatron second in command for more vorns than you can imagine, and he respected me and favored me beyond any other. I _earned_ that right with every battle I fought and every rival I defeated – _and you stole it from me!_" That last was little more than a discordant howl of frustration. Frustration at having his life yanked out from under him. Frustration at being knocked from a position of power where the only mech he answered to had been his commander, forced to become a barely-tolerated outsider, grudgingly accepted by the Maximals because they needed the intelligence he could provide. He_ hated_ that he had to swallow his pride and degrade himself by accepting Optimus's charity.

He must have been a terrifying sight as the energon drained from Scorponok's face and he whimpered in terror and started babbling a frantic stream of apologies. "I'm sorry, I'm so- I didn't mean it! Please…please don't kill me! _Please!_"

Terror did for Scorponok what strength couldn't and driven by desperate panic he suddenly lashed out with his curved tail-blade, striking Dinobot in the chest. The warrior's armor was thick enough that it was only a superficial wound, but the distraction was enough and with a screech of tearing metal Scorponok freed himself and made a dash for freedom.

Dinobot wasn't about to let his chance for vengeance escape him. He lunged after Scorponok, and pounced on him, his weight bearing the smaller Predacon to the ground. Dinobot staggered back up to his feet, and hauling his opponent up with a hand around his throat, he slammed the coward up against a rock. His optics burned a bright green as he activated his optical lasers to deliver a killing blow.

All Scorponok had the strength left to do was gasp out barely audible broken pleas and he shut his eyes and cringed away from his impending death.

_Kill him now! _Dinobot's instincts shrieked at him. _Killhimkillhimkillkill! _There was nothing stopping him from ending Scorponok here and leaving his body to rust here, forgotten among the rocks. Or perhaps he would deliver his severed head to Megatron – that would be a suitable way of expressing his contempt for his former commander's choices. He doubted the Maximals would approve, but then he didn't particularly give a damn about what they thought of him.

Megatron. In the end it _always_ came back to Megatron. It struck him suddenly that it wasn't truly Scorponok that he wanted to destroy; it wasn't _Scorponok_ he wanted to wreak vengeance upon. It was Megatron, the one who had been the source of all his misery. The mech he had once thought of as a friend – his only friend - who had used and abused that friendship until Dinobot had refused to stand for it anymore. He hesitated.

When his imminent demise didn't occur Scorponok cautiously peeked open an optic. He winced visibly when he saw his former comrade's baleful glare centimeters from his face.

"It was Megatron who instructed you to shoot me if I challenged him, was it not?" the warrior asked bluntly.

Scorponok was still for several seconds, but then he gave a small, fearful nod.

It told him what he had really known all along. Scorponok might be ambitious but he didn't have the spine to take on Dinobot on his own. He curled his lip, whether in disgust at Scorponok, Megatron, or himself, he didn't quite know.

"You're just another tool is his hand then."

Scorponok shifted in his grasp, his grey armor scraping against the rock, "I-I-It's an honor to serve L-Lord Megatron," he stammered, not sounding terribly convincing.

"As if you know anything about honor," Dinobot sneered, showing his teeth; the sight making Scorponok swallow whatever else he might have said.

His immediate fury diffused, Dinobot suddenly felt inexplicably tired and deeply bitter. What was this supposed to accomplish anyway? Scorponok was just a convenient tool with little value to Megatron; killing him wouldn't hurt the Predacon leader the way Dinobot so desperately wanted to hurt him. It wouldn't change the fact that Dinobot was still an outcast living among the enemies of race. And he himself was the one who had burnt the final bridge by choosing to fight alongside Optimus Primal.

Inwardly he raged against the cold, hard truth, but he knew he was impotent before it. There was nothing he could do but try and choke down the reality of his situation and survive.

"So we were both fools used by him, then." With a growl he abruptly flung Scorponok away from him, the Predacon landing on his aft in the sand with a loud yelp.

He stared up at Dinobot in shock. "Wha…- you're not going to kill me?" he blurted out, looking confused.

_One would think he would be too grateful to ask questions._ "I'll spare your miserable life this once – for old times' sake," he sneered again at that, "But if I should _ever_ catch you again, I will tear your spark from your chassis. I will not hesitate. Do _not_ ever make the mistake of thinking that the Maximals' foolish idea of mercy has rubbed off on me!"

"Yes sir," Scorponok nodded vigorously, fear taking over again. He transformed to his beast-mode and scurried off as fast and he could. When he was out of Dinobot's immediate reach he paused suddenly and looked back – not at Dinobot - but at the collection of spy equipment he had been setting up.

_Do not try my patience Scorponok,_ Dinobot commed him.

The Predacon jerked as if stung and then took off. Dinobot paused and then added wearily, _Scorponok…the reason they do not respect you is because you have no respect for yourself._

There was no reply, if indeed he had heard it at all. Dinobot waited until he was sure the other really was gone before setting about methodically turning Scorponok's machine into scrap metal. That at least he could get some satisfaction out of destroying.


End file.
